Announcing The Trail of Ithaqua for Elder Sign: Omens

My friend, I write to you under the most dire circumstances. Recently we unearthed a strange statuette that our guides identified as the local god-figure Ithaqua. It terrified them. Since then, we’ve been assaulted by strange storms that follow us as we move. [...] I include the statue, and this letter, in what I fear will be our final shipment. If it should reach you, please, be careful, and send assistance. –Dr. Ashley Lott, The Trail of Ithaqua

Fantasy Flight Games is excited to announce the release of a new campaign and other enhancements for Elder Sign: Omens, now available for iOS (OS X and Android updates will be released shortly)!

Set out on The Trail of Ithaqua

Take your investigators on a harrowing expedition to the frozen north in The Trail of Ithaqua, a new campaign available via in-app purchase! A sinister force has laid siege to a team of archaeologists in the heart of Alaska. Among these beleaguered souls is your friend and colleague, Dr. Ashley Lott, who has sent a message begging for your help.

During the first part of this two-part campaign, investigators must gather ample supplies to keep them alive in part two.

Malevolent forces have hounded Ashley and her team ever since they unearthed an ivory effigy, which she managed to have shipped back to you at the museum. Upon receiving the statuette and letter, the museum is attacked by the very forces which had been harassing Dr. Lott in the Alaskan wilderness.

Since the museum is invaded by intruders, there are no Elder Signs to be gathered in the first phase of the game. The focus of this stage of the campaign is instead on procuring supplies in the museum. Supplies are won by completing adventures, or they can be purchased with trophies, so make sure you’ve gathered a sufficient stockpile before setting out on a rescue mission to Alaska!

Once in the frozen north, one unit of supplies is used every time an investigator takes his turn. When the supplies run out, your brave investigators are steadily drained of Stamina at the beginning of each turn as they languish from starvation and exposure in the unforgiving wilderness! Despite these brutal conditions, your team must gather Elder Signs, which represent the journey toward Dr. Lott’s last known location.

Grizzly Bears and grisly murders await, in just two of the twenty-five new adventures in The Trail of Ithaqua.

Twenty-five new adventures await the investigators in The Trail of Ithaqua, but the hazards of exploring the wilderness are compounded by the supernatural creatures and forces that hunt your party as you progress. The things lurking the woods are closing in, and players must fend them off while supplies dwindle.

The yetis of the frozen plains show no mercy, while starving wolves and terrifying byakhees shadow the investigators’ every move. Ten fearsome new monsters await.

Hulking Yetis stride through the forest, exacting a terrible price of two stamina in defeat and yielding no trophies for the bedraggled party of investigators. The wildlife that inhabits these woods has also been slowly corrupted by the presence of otherworldly forces. Normally harmless packs of wolves prey upon man, and multiply at midnight if any are left undefeated!

Story effects, an entirely new game element, crop up as you get closer to finding the answer to the mystery. Beware Ithaqua’s Icy Winds!

As your investigators search for Elder Signs, they will contend with the horrible hazards of Ithaqua’s Icy Winds. These strange and malicious storms can come upon hapless investigators undertaking any adventure marked with a snowstorm, and will often result in a terrible penalty. Story Effects occur as Dr. Lott’s guide leads your desperate team ever deeper into the frozen wasteland; will they locate a hidden cache of supplies in the hunting cabin, or will they fall prey to a monstrous grizzly bear at the abandoned mine? And once they find Ithaqua, will they have what it takes to best him in a thrilling, final battle?

New Investigators Lend Their Strength in The Trail of Ithaqua

Luckily, The Trail of Ithaqua brings with it the talents of four new investigators (plus one unlockable investigator)! Today, we’ll see just two of them: a mysterious musician and a woman whose dreams become waking nightmares. Meet Jim Culver and Jaqueline Fine, two of the four characters that are available with the in-app purchase of The Trail of Ithaqua.

For Jim Culver, jazz has been his trade and his trouble for as long as he can remember. Playing his father’s trumpet seemed to twist his tones into something more than music. Jim knew he played well, but his trumpet gave him more talent than he’d been graced with naturally. The smooth music of that trumpet made the dead get up and dance, literally. Since then, Jim has dug deeper into the more macabre mysteries of the universe, and he’s decided to lend his aid to the investigations going on within the museum. The jazz musician’s “Strange Luck” ability allows him to focus a glyph or assist even when he completes a task!

Jaqueline Fine has never been a sound sleeper. Her dreams have a tendency to show her things before they come to pass with a startling amount of accuracy. Lately, Jacqueline has been plagued with maddeningly real visions of gruesome horrors.

Jacqueline is determined to avert the tragedies and terrors that she’s witnessed in her dreams. Jaqueline has traveled to Arkham in hopes of stopping the awakening of dark forces, and will lend her power to aiding in the rescue of Dr. Lott. Jaqueline can leverage her psychic abilities with her “Precognition” ability, allowing her to spend a clue to change the mythos effect once per day.

Jaqueline Fine, Jim Culver, and two more new investigators (plus one unlockable character) will aid in your attempt discover the fate of the unfortunate Dr. Lott at the hands of the abominable Ithaqua. But will it be enough? Discover the fate of your lost colleague and face the frozen horrors of Alaska while on the The Trail of Ithaqua!

A Free Update Brings Even More

Whether or not you pursue The Trail of Ithaqua, the version 1.2 update offers a host of free enhancements...including a new Ancient One! Tsathoggua has sent forth its formless spawn into the museum, and now the whole town of Arkham is succumbing to the mind-numbing drain of the malevolent deity’s presence. Do you have what it takes to resist the haze that permeates the museum and lead your investigators to victory? Face Tsathoggua and save the town from the lethargic pall that has gripped its inhabitants before it’s too late!

Tsathoggua includes the new Formless Spawn and Hunting Horror monsters, as well as his own horrific Mythos effects and unique entrance costs. The new Monster Log feature lets players quickly review the details of all monsters currently in play, allowing you to better confront these horrific beasts. Version 1.2’s layout enhancements and minor bug fixes improve the overall game experience, and FFG is happy to announce compatibility with iPhone 5’s larger screen size!

Start Your Expedition!

In summary, version 1.2 includes a new campaign along with a number of other updates.

The Trail of Ithaqua, an in-app purchase:

The Trail of Ithaqua campaign with two stages and multiple endings

4 new investigators

10 new monsters

25 new adventures

1 new unlockable investigator

A number of free updates:

Tsathoggua, a new Ancient One

2 new monsters

New Mythos effects

The Monster Log feature

iPhone 5 compatibility and bug fixes

Can you maintain your sanity long enough to protect mankind from these unspeakable horrors? Visit the App Store now, and check the Mac App Store and Google Play in the coming days, to download Elder Sign: Omens. Then, update your app through your digital device!

Elder Sign: Omens is an application for your digital device that lets you recreate the horrifying tension of Elder Sign wherever you go. Pass and play with up to three of your friends, or try to best your previous attempts with the detailed scoring system. With Elder Sign: Omens, there’s no escaping the horrors of the Ancient Ones.